In This Hour of Rain
by Beckon
Summary: These were times of renewal it would seem… the rare visit of rain gave them all a chance to wash away the scars on their flesh.


The soft drumming of rain against the windowpane slowly drew her out of her somewhat fitful bed of sleep. Ears gradually tucked themselves back at the continuous rhythm that dared to wake her up at this hour. Her eye seemed to crack open bit by bit before it settled on the absolute darkness of the room around her; faint shadows moved across the room and she watched the dripping figures fall along the isolated section of the wall that served as the stage for their final act. Frowning lightly, she carefully pushed herself up onto her arms, trying not to disturb the mate that remained asleep just behind her, and half turned to the window on the other side of the room.

The glass was smeared with droplets of water that struck again and again in light waves; distorting the already darkened image on the other side. The usual streak of moonlight that would pierce through the window and caress the folds that ruined the surface of their bed was now blurred and nearly hidden behind the mask of water.

It didn't rain all that often in Hatari.

Low temperatures were usually all they had to deal with once the sun disappeared behind the horizons… but rain… that was almost a royalty here.

Hands moved to push aside the light blanket that rested on top of her but she paused slightly in mid-motion at the remembrance of her bedmate. Glancing downward, she watched as he shifted just ever so slightly before he went back to complete stillness. The one hand that was once resting against her waist had slowly slipped to fall onto the bed instead, slender fingers just barely curled inward. She always thought it was a little humorous with how he had to fit his sleeping poses around his wings, usually opting on rest on his side so that the massive pair could hang over the side of the bed; sometimes, he folded them against his back and slept in another position, but those offered a low success rate and he usually found himself back on his side once more. She guessed all the bird Laguzs had to juggle that kind of task, which just made it seem much easier to have a tail instead- most nights she just had it wrapped around her legs and was happy with that. She didn't know how he managed to sleep and not get those long strands of his wrapped around his neck or something; it would almost seem as though they didn't even move during the night, and yet her gray curls were always a hassle in the morning.

Night after night though, he bared the same expression of pure serenity as though he never really dreamed but merely slept; his mind staying in the same place throughout the night and never opted to venture into some subconscious world. And yet, after some dreams, she found herself waking up in some kind of cold sweat or angered at someone for an action that didn't belong to their real form but a mere subconscious being created in their likeness. It would seem silly for a Queen to ramble on with such thoughts though...

He wouldn't be up until the sun rose again and that wouldn't be for six more hours at the very least.

So until then, she was on her own.

Easing herself out of bed, she was careful not to draw any unnecessary noises from the bedding and even more attentive to the floorboards that remained silent underneath her footsteps. She had taught herself to be light on her toes and minimize the amount of noise she could produce; it came in handy on the battlefield when their advantage was to break from their waiting positions and rush the unsuspecting enemy. Fingers eased the door from its frame and allowed for her to step out into the corridor without so much as a simple ruffle of her bedmate's wings. Turning her attention elsewhere, she pushed herself down the elongated corridor and made her way towards the open courtyard at the back of the building. The interior of her home was pitch black and her semi-poor eyesight forced her to take careful steps so not to cause the slightest commotion; she was certain if her Heron Prince was awakened at this hour by some kind of noise and realized she wasn't at his side, he would probably put himself into some kind of cardiac arrest from worry alone. She just followed the soft silk of the rug beneath her feet and allowed for it to almost lead her to her destination; allowing for the hand-woven gift to give her blinded sight and push her in the right direction.

Not to say that she didn't know where she was going. Sometimes it was just nice to let her other senses roam free when sight was not so readily available to her.

Her ears perked up slightly at the heightened sound of the rain coming down on the structure around her. The outline of the courtyard door barely blurred into sight but she reached forward and pushed it from its frame just as well.

Lavender.

That was the first thing to strike her as she stood in the open doorway for a moment before she slowly continued outside. The light rush of rain was striking the desert flowers that bloomed all over this area, bringing some new life into the gardens not too far from here; she remembered some of the local Cat Laguzs planting the flowers earlier this year. With careful handling and motherly hands, they had managed to bring in several large, successful bushels; she could recall one of them explaining that their species enjoyed the scent of lavender while Tigers usually wielded away from it. It could be used in cooking and aromatherapy, which was always seemingly in need during specific times of the year, not to mention they could use the oil to produce healing creams for skin burns and irritations, or simply to aid sleep and relaxation.

Personally, a lot of the times she had difficulty catching even a hint of the flowers' delightful aroma while the Cats seemed to nearly roll themselves around in it, but at this moment, she could pick up on the almost sweet scent. It wasn't really anything to get overjoyed about, but she could see why they were charmed when the first bushels survived the desert heat.

Pushing herself from the doorframe, she held out her hand for a moment and felt the cold droplets splash themselves across her skin; they chilled her flesh but left an almost comforting sensation as well. Step by step, she walked out into the open and allowed for the rain to course down along her body. Never once bothering about her thin clothes getting wet or her hair and tail getting matted down. These were times of renewal it would seem… the rare visit of rain gave them all a chance to wash away the scars on their flesh.

The many times it had rained during the war of the Goddess, it had only carried a sense of annoyance and bitter cold. Now it was a relief and pleasure to have. Even for someone like herself, she let it take her mind away for a few moments and leave her completely vulnerable to her senses.

She couldn't recall how long she had been out there, she didn't even notice when the crescent moon slowly moved away from the center of the night sky and allowed for its brighter brethren to emerge once more. The rain kept up although its light intensity dropped to a mere sprinkle a few times before picking up speed again; it was a light, continuous cycle that left her wondering just how long it was going to keep up. Usually when it rained in Hatari it was only for a few minutes, sometimes an hour but this… this was different. And she found herself enjoying every minute of it.

The slight break of raindrops splashing against her skin caught her attention and she made a graceful transition from her thoughts and moved back to the reality around her. She supposed she shouldn't have found it surprising to find her white Heron close at her side now; one of his wings had been lifted and was gently extended to drape over her, masking her from the rain.

"What are you doing out here? You're absolutely soaked."

"Hatari woke me up this morning, it would be ignorant to ignore her. Much like the Goddess speaks to you, Hatari calls to me."

His curiosity appeared to have been triggered at the remark and she noticed the way he seemed to be testing on whether or not he wanted to ask. He turned his attention away for a brief moment and looked across the misty desert environment that surrounded them. Of all the years he had been here, he couldn't recall it ever raining… not to say that it didn't, perhaps he had just not be mindful to it. It reminded him of the forest where it used to rain every few days; the rainwater gave off a greater sense of life even when everyone retreated inside. He always remembered watching Lillia press herself up against the window to observe what was going on outside; she constantly wanted to go out, play in the puddles and run underneath the rush of the rain. Father laughed at the notion of it while mother toyed with the idea of letting her go out maybe just once. And once the idea of it was mentioned, everyone wanted to go; Lillia had somehow managed to influence the others and soon enough, the whole pack had managed to escape outside.

And who had to go out and round them back up?

Lillia and Leanne were the easiest to gather since they were the youngest at the time and not quite as agile; Reyson and Ramsey were more difficult for the sheer purpose of making trouble for him. One would have thought that for a species dedicated to the Goddess and being of a more sensitive nature that everyone would have acted accordingly and listened for the calls to get back inside. But, for once, things did not happen so easily nor go the right way.

The memory still managed to bring a light chuckle to him even after all these years… then again, he supposed memories were all he had left. Leanne and Reyson were still doing well in the recovered Serenes forest, both kept their father company and stood at King Tibarn's side. The rest were just scattered images that he could faintly remember; that smile Lillia always carried with her and the gentle way she sang lullabies to the younger siblings; those few crooked feathers that always stuck out of Ramsey's wings and how he could never get them to straighten out.

Soft, fleeting images.

"What does Hatari say?" he finally questioned, breaking himself from his separated train of thought.

She took note of his elongated silence and absence from their brief conversation- for a moment, she wished she had the ability to read minds like he did, maybe then she could find out what was going on inside of that head of his. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eye for a moment and settled on the gloomy atmosphere that turned the air heavy around them. "She's moody today, something doesn't feel right to her."

"Does she give reasons?"

"No, Hatari likes her secrets almost as much as I do." She replied, giving a brief shake of her head before she opened her eye and looked over to him. "You're up a little earlier than usual."

"Just a few minutes before dawn, yes." He agreed with a short nod. "I couldn't sense you next to me and I couldn't hear your thoughts; I figured you stepped out for a moment and when I saw the rain… I knew where you would be. It's not really my place to ask why you would want to stand out here soaking wet, but I know you have a good reason for it."

"You're standing out here just the same."

"Yes but I'm doing this for you, My Queen. Not to mention, I'm not nearly as soaked as you are."

She offered him a light smile before she slowly moved to head back into the building behind them; fingers grabbed onto the light material of his robe and tugged against them as she moved away. "If it keeps raining like this, the entire city will be inside all day."

"I would not blame them."

"Precisely. Hence, no one will be able to interrupt us."


End file.
